How to Choose a Career That Will Make You Happy

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April 15, 2013

On Harvard Business Review‘s blog network, author Heidi Grant Halvorson offers one easy way to figure out which type of career is right for you. All you have to do, she says, is figure out whether you’re motivated by promotion or prevention.

Promotion-motivated people:

– Are creative and innovative

– Embrace risk

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– Tend to be abstract thinkers

Prevention-motivated people, on the other hand:

– Are thorough and detail-oriented

– Work accurately

– Plan ahead

It’s important to note that neither personality type is better than the other. In fact, most businesses need a combination of both if they’re to survive.

“[I]t often takes a Steve Jobs to see a product’s potential, and a Steve Wozniak to actually build it and make it work,” Grant Halvorson writes. “So if you are starting a new venture, make sure that you’ve got a healthy balance of promotion and prevention thinking in the right places.”

Still don’t know which type of worker you are? Take a free assessment here.

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We want to hear from you! Are you focused on promotion or prevention? Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter, using the hashtag #MakeItHappen.